A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed. Feel free to continue doing so.
Within a few hours, Sarai was home. The first thing she saw after walking through the door was Lorne, Sophia, Faith, Willow, Dawn, and of course Skittles, standing in front of a hand made 'Welcome Home Sarai' sign. She gave them the thumb up of approval. Sophia went up to Sarai and waved. Sarai smiled and waved back. Sarai wrote 'Hi Sophia', on her board, but the four year old was unable to read it.
"She says hi back," Fred told her daughter for Sarai. Sophia noticed Darla and then turned to her best friend for approval.
'It's okay, she's good,' Sarai wrote, once again for getting the child couldn't really read yet.
Darla had heard of Sophia a few times during her visits to Sarai. She knew Sarai liked her a lot. There for, so did she. "Hi there. I'm Sarai's mother," she said. Sophia nodded.
'WILLOW:)' was the next thing to be seen on the teenagers board.
"Hi sweety," Willow replied, walking to Sarai and hugging her. After, Sarai pointed to her room, making it clear she wanted her bed. Cordelia went to take Sarai's hand and bring her to her room, but Darla intervened.
"I can do it," Darla informed her, before taking Sarai into her room. Sophia and Dawn followed. Ryan tried to, but was stopped.
"Excuse me? And where do you think your going?" Angel asked.
"Are you kidding? Angel, he wants to see if she's okay. And, with three other people in the room, I doubt anything will happen." Fred said. Angel reluctantly allowed him to go.
"If he tries anything, it's your fault," he then mumbled to his friend.
"I don't think Ryan is the one you have to worry about trying something," she teased. A piece of paper crumbled into a ball flew out of Sarai's room and hit Fred on the head. 'I heard that! And... he's hot, could you blame me if I did? P.S. don't let el father know about that last part' is what was written on it.
Meanwhile, Sarai plopped down on her bed and sprawled out, clearly being over dramatic, partly for entertainment value for her friends and partly to drive her father insane. She had great plans of using her operation to drive him mad. After all, he was the one that okayed it, so in her eyes that was as good as him begging her too. "Are you okay?" Darla questioned.
She shook her head. 'Ice cream...more...need it...' she wrote. 'And make the other one make it for me.'
Darla left to give the order of ice cream. "Your gonna get fat eating so much ice cream," Dawn pointed out. "And getting rid of it would either involve surgery, dieting or exercise. Three things you are against."
Sarai thought about that. Her friend did have a good point. But then again, it was ice cream. 'Screw it, ice cream is worth it. OH! Ice pops! Can someone help a sick Sarai out and get some? Only red and maybe orange preferably though. No grape or lemon under any circumstances,' she wrote.
"You know, you probably can talk a little," Ryan told her.
'Wipe-y Board!' was her simple written reply. Ryan laughed. Sophia climbed on the bed and sat at the edge. Sarai wanted to invite her to lay down and keep her company, but with the inability to speak and Sophia not being able to read, it was difficult. So, Sarai wrote for Ryan to do it for her. "Sophia, Sarai said you can lay down if you want," he told the child. She was about to do it, when Fred walked in.
"Sweety, it's time to go," Fred told her. Sarai raised an eyebrow. "She has a special appointment with the speech therapist. I can't be missed," Fred then explained. "We'll be back later."
The two left, and Ryan and Sarai were left alone. 'You can sit,' she wrote. He sat down on the bed. But soon Angel walked in and he dove off. Sarai couldn't help but grin.
"Someone ordered ice cream?" Angel said, handing his daughter a bowl of strawberry ice cream goodness. The teenager inhaled the ice cream, and requested more. Angel sighed.
'More!' she wrote.
"You're just as demanding in writing as you are vocally," her father mused.
'Yes I am. Now, ice cream. Ya know, please and all that crap.'
Angel rolled his eyes and began to exit the room. But first he stopped to look around. He noticed by leaving, Sarai and Ryan would be alone with no one else in the room. "Ryan, help me with the ice cream," he requested. Sarai glared at her father, but Ryan listened and left the room.
Darla entered and pulled a chair up to her daughters bed. "Feeling any better?" she asked.
Sarai shrugged, 'they didn't kill me,' she wrote. 'And there's ice cream.'
"Ice cream is good," Darla smiled, "think there's some way you could request the purchase of some French Vanilla for me?"
'I think it can be arranged... but what's in it for me?' the teenager wrote back.
Darla stroked her daughter's hair, "I'm going to make sure you get all better, and I'll never leave you again," she soothed before thinking and shifting into a lighter, more playful tone, "and I'll try and loosen up your dad on the whole Ryan issue."
Sarai thought about what her mother said, and it finally sunk in. She wasn't leaving her again, ever. Her mother would never disappear at any random time again. And the Ryan thing a little plus too. The teenager smiled, 'deal.' Sarai sent out for the other ice cream. Dawn hadn't actually left the penthouse to get the ice pops yet, so she agreed to pick the ice cream up as well. Darla decided to go with her quickly, this way she could pick up things she'll be needing such as a tooth brush and maybe even get another outfit. But she promised Sarai she'd wait to do a big shopping with her.
With Ryan being called home to watch his sister's for a little while, Fred and Sophia at the therapist, Angel, Wesley, Lorne and Cordelia filling Sarai's other request of massive Jell-o making, Darla and Dawn gone, and Spike, Gunn and Doyleplaying video games, Willow finally had a chance for some one-on-one Sarai time. "How are you?" Willow asked, hopping on Sarai's bed.
'Not entirely terrible. So what's new in Willow world?' Willow shrugged. Sarai could tell there was something up with her friend. 'What's wrong in Willow world?'
"Kennedy and I broke up," she confessed. Sarai tried to look sorry for her. It didn't work. "I know you didn't like her, it's okay."
'But... u did. I don't lyk sad Willow. Can I do n e thing?' the teenager wrote, getting lazy and beginning to use IM Spelling.
"Spell properly. You know that annoys me."
'Okay... Wesley and Dad, is this better?'
"Much. I'll be okay. It's not like I died or anything. And HEY! You didn't either. So much for the conspiracy theory, huh?"
'It doesn't prove there wasn't one. Just that it didn't succeed if there was,' the teen corrected.
Willow laughed. "Well, I see someone's been luckier then me in maintaining a relationship. So, everything's still going well?"
'Fantabulous. And if you want, I think you and my art teacher might make a good match. She's nice. And according to Ryan and all my other male friends at school, she's hot.'
"I'll keep that in mind."
Sarai gave her the thumbs up. 'So, during your visit, do you intend on teaching anyone how to magically float?'
"Sorry. Your father already banned me from teaching you. Something about no need to give you power to destroy things up high." The teenager pouted and pointed out her throat. "But maybe we can fit in a lesson or two when you're better and he isn't around," Willow changed her mind.
'Yippie, yayness! You rule!'
"Thanks!"
"The Jell-O has been put in the fridge and should be ready to eat in four hours," Angel announced, entering the room.
'Stupid hardening time,' Sarai wrote, glaring at Angel, as if it was his fault.
"What?" he questioned.
'Never mind.'
Sarai was obviously getting some odd enjoyment out of using her board to write stuff. This was bothering her father quite a bit, and he wasn't entirely sure why. "Why don't you try and see if you can speak a little?" he suggested.
'You WANT me to talk?' she wrote.
He sighed, "yeah. I want you to talk."
"I knew it!" she exclaimed, using her voice. It wasn't at it's full strength by any means, but it was strong enough to be understood clearly. Angel's jaw dropped, as did Willow's. "Oh yeah, heh, turns out all those special fast healing power whatever I got from you applies to surgery too. I realized I could talk since I went to the bathroom right before you took me home."
"What...huh? Then why..." Angel stuttered.
"I wanted you to say you wanted me to speak. This way I can use it against you whenever you bitch that I talk too much," the teenager smiled as she answered.
"That's... just...mean," he replied. "And I don't 'bitch'"
"Yes you do," she argued. "But don't worry, I still love you anyway," she then added.
"Oh good, I don't know how I could sleep tonight if you didn't clarify that," he snarked.
"Pfft. Yeah right. You know you'd lay awake at night trying to think up ways to get back on my loving side if I didn't."
"Well who wouldn't? Since this is how you treat the ones you love, I don't think anyone would want to be on your bad side," Willow pointed out.
"Your damn right you don't want to be on my bad side. Which is exactly why you are smart," Sarai told her.
"What's going on... do I hear Sarai..." Cordelia began to say entering the room.
"Talking?" she finished for him. "Yuppers."
"He finally asked?" Gunn questioned, walking in.
"You knew about her plan?" Angel asked.
"Of course. She told me before." He slapped Sarai five. "Nice work."
"Thanks," she replied.
"Plan? What plan?" Cordy said.
"My plan," Sarai answered. "My plan of making him say he wants me to talk."
"Oh?"
The next thing everyone heard was the sound of the front door opening. "Ice cream is here!" Dawn announced. Sarai clapped as Dawn and Darla came in the bed room. "Took you two long enough," she huffed.
"You talked!" Dawn exclaimed.
"How observant." Dawn picked up a throw pillow off the floor and hit her friend with it. "Did you all see that attack? She's abusing the sickly!"
"Speaking of sick, since when can you talk?" Darla questioned.
"Since this afternoon. But I wanted to hear daddy say he wants me to talk, since I've known all along he likes it when I talk despite all his sarcasm and denial. And speaking of saying things, you promised you were never going to leave again, and you just took off!" she said with a pout and sad puppy eyes.
Darla felt bad, "I'm sorry...I..."
"Just kidding," Sarai smiled. "I was just having fun with you. Gees, did you really think I'd rather have you here with unbrushed teeth and the same outfit day after day? Sheesh."
Darla was speechless. "Either get used to it, or get destroyed," Angel advised, speaking from experience.
"It's true," Sarai agreed. "Now someone hand me ice cream and a spoon? Mother, you are invited to have your French Vanilla with me."
Darla and Sarai had their ice cream together. And due to Sarai's request, Darla spent the night. Cordelia wasn't thrilled with the idea, Angel made vague comments to it not being the best arrangements, but that really didn't matter because that is what Sarai wanted. The next morning, everyone, including Ryan, gathered at Angel/Sarai's for breakfast as everyone else returned to work at Wolfram and Hart. All the employee's took the day before off, refusing to be in the same building as post-op Sarai, since most of the staff was scared of her to begin with. The possibility of an angry, medicated version terrified them all. As Angel and Sarai's close friends/family ate with them, there was a knock on the door. Angel answered it. It was Patrick, from the Wolfram and Hart library. "Can I help you, Patrick?" Angel asked.
"Sir, I found something when I unlocked the library and went in that I think you should see," he answered as he stepped aside to reveal what it was.
"Oh my god," Angel gasped. Everyone went to the door to see what was going on and was equally shocked. They all stared at a small child, that aside from the blonde hair, was basically the replica of one of their own. Everyone turned to Sarai, and as she looked at her younger self, she knew there was only one thing to say, which happened to be what some expected her to say.
"It's Mini-Me!" she exclaimed.
TBC
A/N: That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed. Coming up next: More on little Sarai, and everyone's reactions to her, and the other way around. Also, Sophia does something that makes our teenage Sarai very happy and feel special. In the meantime, please review.